China`s December nickel ore, conc imports fall 62% on year to 2.48 million mt
Source: www.chinamining.org Citation: Platts Date: January 28, 2015
China`s imports of nickel ores and concentrates fell 61.7% year on year and 13.3% month on month to 2.48 million mt in December, latest data from the General Administration of Customs showed Tuesday, January 27.
Imports from China`s largest supplier, the Philippines, rose by 73.3% year on year to 2.41 million mt in December.
But the increase was outpaced by the 100% drop in imports from Indonesia, which was China`s largest nickel ore and concentrate supplier before it banned the exports of unprocessed ore from January 2014.
Analysts expect nickel ore and concentrate imports into China to continue falling in the next few months as shipments from the Philippines are affected due to monsoons in parts of Southeast Asia.
Shipments are expected to return to normal only after March. Nickel ore inventory at China`s five major ports of Tianjin, Rizhao, Lanshan, Lianyungang and Jingtang, fell by 504,000 mt week on week to 12.45 million mt as of January 23, data from Chinese metals research firm Shanghai Metals Market showed Tuesday.
For the full year 2014, China`s nickel ore and concentrate imports fell 33% year on year to 47.72 million mt.
Imports from the Philippines during 2014 rose 23.1% from 2013 to 36.4 million mt, while those from Indonesia dropped by 74.1% year on year to 10.64 million mt last year.
In contrast, China`s imports of ferronickel increased 45.2% year on year to 282,936 mt in 2014.
Users imported the ferroalloy to substitute nickel pig iron whose production is falling in China due to drop in nickel ore imports.
In December, imports of ferronickel fell 3.6% year on year to 27,818 mt.
Meanwhile, China`s unwrought non-alloy nickel imports totaled 129,979 mt in 2014, down 22.7% year on year.
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